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Bureau of Mines Information Circular/1986 




4 

30 1986 ) 



Beryllium Availability— Market 
Economy Countries 

A Minerals Availability Appraisal 

By Audrey A. Soja and Andrew E. Sabin 



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 



Information Circular 91 00 

Beryllium Availability— Market 
Economy Countries 

A Minerals Availability Appraisal 

By Audrey A. Soja and Andrew E. Sabin 




UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 
Donald Paul Hodel, Secretary 

BUREAU OF MINES 
Robert C. Horton, Director 



m&s 



As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has (/0"f 
responsibility for most of our nationally owned public lands and natural resources. This ' 
includes fostering the wisest use of our land and water resources, protecting our fish/l/l r\ 
and wildlife, preserving the environment and cultural values of our national parks and / ^ 
historical places, and providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. 
The Department assesses our energy and mineral resources and works to assure that 
their development is in the best interests of all our people. The Department also has 
a major responsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for people who 
live in island territories under U.S. administration. 



Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data 



Soja, A. A. (Audrey A.) 

Beryllium availability— market economy countries. 

(Information circular / Bureau of Mines ; 9100 ) 

Bibliography; p. 17 

Supt. of Docs, no.: I 28.27; 9100 

1. Beryllium. I. Sabin, Andrew E. II. Title. III. Series: Information circular (United 
States, Bureau of Mines); 9100 

TN295.U4 [TN490.B4] 622 s [338.274923] 86-600192 



Ill 



PREFACE 



The Bureau of Mines is assessing the worldwide availability of selected minerals 
of economic significance, most of which are also critical minerals. The Bureau iden- 
tifies, collects, compiles, and evaluates information on producing, developing, and ex- 
plored deposits, and on mineral processing plants worldwide. Objectives are to classify 
both domestic and foreign resources, to identify by cost evaluation those demonstrated 
resources that are reserves, and to prepare analyses of mineral availability. 

This report is one of a continuing series of reports that analyze the availability of 
minerals from domestic and foreign sources. Questions about, or comments on, these 
reports should be addressed to Chief, Division of Minerals Availability, Bureau of Mines, 
2401 E St., NW, Washington, DC 20241. 



CONTENTS 



Page 

Preface iii 

Abstract 1 

Introduction 2 

Acknowledgments 3 

Beryllium industry 3 

Products and applications 3 

Industry overview 3 

Beryl ore markets 4 

World beryllium statistics 5 

Production 5 

Trade 5 

U.S. consumption 6 

Future markets 6 

Economic discussion 6 

Beryl ore 6 

Beryllium 7 

Geology and resources 8 

Beryl 8 

Bertrandite 10 



Page 

Other beryllium minerals 10 

Beryllium mining and beneficiation 11 

Beryl mining and processing in Brazil 11 

Bertrandite mining and processing 11 

Beryl flotation and beryl ore extraction methods 12 

Beryl flotation from pegmatite ore 12 

Extraction of beryllium from beryl ore 13 

Fluoride process 13 

Sulfate process 13 

Evaluation methodology 14 

Operating costs 14 

Beryl 15 

Bertrandite 15 

Availability 15 

Conclusions 17 

References 17 

Appendix A.— U.S. beryllium data 18 

Appendix B.— Glossary 19 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Page 

1. Mineral resource classification categories 2 

2. Beryllium industry scheme 3 

3. Beryl ore production in Brazil and Argentina 4 

4. U.S. beryl ore imports 4 

5. U.S. imports and exports of beryllium in wrought and unwrought forms 5 

6. U.S. beryllium consumption and importation 6 

7. U.S. beryllium consumption 7 

8. Location of South American beryllium deposits 9 

9. Geologic block diagram of a zoned pegmatite 9 

10. Spor Mountain, UT: Cross section of bertrandite ore body; geologic cross section and secondary drilling . . 10 

11. Location of North American beryllium deposits and processing plants 10 

12. Delta plant flowsheet 12 

13. Denver Equipment Co. beryl flotation design 13 

14. Cost and total availability for Brazilian beryl ore 16 

15. Cost and total availability for Brazilian beryl ore with mine operating cost adjustments 16 

A-l. Beryl ore in U.S. strategic stockpile 18 



TABLES 



Page 

1. Historical prices per pound of beryllium powder, oxide, and master alloy 4 

2. Average actual prices of beryl ore containing 10 pet BeO 4 

3. World beryllium production— 1975-84 5 

4. Comparisons of domestic beryllium import and export values, and balance of trade 6 

5. Beryllium-bearing deposits and regions 8 

6. Market economy country beryllium resources 9 

7. Estimated operating costs and contained beryl ore in Brazil and the United States 15 



VI 



UNIT OF MEASURE ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS REPORT 


°C degree Celsius 


M g/L 


microgram per liter 


cm centimeter 


Hg/m 3 


microgram per cubic meter 


ft foot 


Mmt 


million metric tons 


g gram 


mt 


metric ton 


kg kilogram 


mt/yr 


metric ton per year 


km kilometer 


pet 


percent 


lb pound 


St 


short ton 


m meter 


stu 


short ton unit 


m s cubic meter 


yr 


year 



BERYLLIUM AVAILABILITY— MARKET ECONOMY COUNTRIES 
A Minerals Availability Appraisal 

By Audrey A. Soja 1 and Andrew E. Sabin 2 

ABSTRACT 

The Bureau of Mines investigated beryllium resources, production methods, and 
production costs to estimate the quantity of beryllium available for future use. Eight 
mining districts and 12 deposits are included in the study; lack of data precluded the 
evaluation of resources from 6 nonproducing and undeveloped deposits. The study re- 
vealed that demonstrated beryllium-bearing resources should be sufficient to meet 
domestic needs and those of other market economy countries (MEC's) well into the 21st 
century. 

Total demonstrated beryllium-bearing in situ resources from MEC's are estimated 
at 118 million metric tons (Mmt) of ore containing approximately 33,000 mt beryllium 
metal. Approximately 111 Mmt ore containing 29,000 mt beryllium was included in 
the cost analysis and availability sections of this study. 

Three Brazilian districts currently produce beryl ore, and one domestic company, 
Brush Wellman Inc., produces bertrandite ore. Brush Wellman Inc. owns and operates 
the only MEC facility in the Western Hemisphere for extracting beryllium values from 
beryl and bertrandite and is the beryllium industry's only fully integrated corporation. 

'Industry economist. 
2 Geologist. 
Minerals Availability Field Office, Bureau of Mines, Denver, CO. 



INTRODUCTION 



Beryllium resources and the beryllium manufacturing 
industry are of interest to the United States because 
beryllium is an important constituent of components for the 
defense, nuclear, and aerospace industries. The purpose of 
the Bureau of Mines' beryllium availability study is to 
estimate the total amount of beryllium available from 
various economic and potentially economic sources and to 
estimate the price required for producers and potential pro- 
ducers to recover costs of production and obtain a return 
on investments. This beryllium availability study con- 
tributes to the analytical structure used by the Bureau to 
develop mineral-related policy recommendations. 

This report focuses on major ore producers and poten- 
tial producers in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and the United 
States. Other MEC's, including the Republic of South Africa 
and Rwanda, have not been included because the combined 
production from these countries as a percentage of the world 
total is relatively insignificant (approximately 7 pet in 
1983). Production data from the U.S.S.R. and China indicate 
that they produced the most beryl ore among all foreign 
nations in 1983; however, lack of data on individual deposits 
or mining regions precludes the inclusion of these and all 
other centrally planned economy countries (CPEC's) in this 
study. 

The beryllium industry is relatively small, which makes 
an availability analysis somewhat limited in scope when 
compared to other major commodities. In the Western 
Hemisphere, only one mine produces bertrandite and three 
Brazilian districts produce the majority of beryl; one com- 
pany extracts beryllium hydroxide [Be(OH) 2 ] from beryl and 



bertrandite ores, and two companies convert Be(OH) 2 to 
three basic forms of beryllium. The scope of this report is 
limited; because beryllium extraction and processing costs 
are proprietary, the analysis of beryllium does not extend 
beyond the mining and milling stages. Beryl ore availability 
and production costs are presented in this report. 

Several factors affecting present and future availabil- 
ity of beryllium from known deposits are discussed in this 
report, e.g., number of ore deposits, deposit size and 
beryllium grade, mining and milling techniques, market 
prices of the ore and beryllium products, and demand for 
beryllium products. To some extent, government regula- 
tions, both foreign and domestic, and the value of any com- 
modities recovered with beryllium ores can indirectly im- 
pact the availability of beryllium. 

Deposit data were procured from deposit site visits, in- 
terviews with company officials, and publications. Data 
used in the availability analysis include recoverable 
resources, grades of recoverable minerals, capital costs, 
operating costs, transportation costs, taxes, and royalties. 
Resources were estimated according to criteria adopted by 
the U.S. Geological Survey and Bureau of Mines (fig. 1) (I). 3 
The Bureau of Mines supply analysis model (SAM) computer 
program processed input data and produced financial sum- 
maries and annual cash flows for each deposit, using the 
discounted-cash-flow-rate-of-return (DCFROR) method. 



3 Italic numbers in parentheses refer to items in the list of references 
preceding the appendixes. 



Cumulative 
production 


IDENTIFIED RESOURCES 


UNDISCOVERED RESOURCES 


Demonstrated 


Inferred 


Probability range 


Measured 1 Indicated 


Hypothetical **?' Speculative 




ECONOMIC 


Reserve 


Inferred 

reserve 

base 


1 1 


MARGINALLY 
ECONOMIC 


base 


SUB- 
ECONOMIC 




i 





Other 
occurrences 



Includes nonconventional and low-grade materials 



FIGURE 1.— Mineral resource classification categories (1). 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



Andrew W. Berg, David K. Denton, Jr., and Russell G. 
Raney, Bureau of Mines Western Field Operations Center, 
and Robert C. Bowyer and David R. Wilburn of the Minerals 



Availability Field Office procured data for U.S. mines, 
deposits, and districts included in this beryllium study. 



BERYLLIUM INDUSTRY 



PRODUCTS AND APPLICATIONS 

Beryllium apparently was extracted from beryl as early 
as 1798, after Vauquelin dissolved beryl in aqueous KOH 
and precipitated Be(OH) 2 by boiling the solution. The 
metallic form was isolated in 1828, when Wohler and Bussy 
reduced the chloride with potassium in a platinum cruci- 
ble. In 1926, beryllium-copper alloys were discovered to 
have significant mechanical properties. Commercial produc- 
tion of these alloys began in the United States in 1932, while 
the commercial process for extracting metallic beryllium 
was not developed until the 1940's (2). 

Manufactured in three basic forms (alloy, oxide, and 
metal), beryllium is a very low density metal (two-thirds 
that of aluminum) that possesses several physical and 
chemical properties that make it a unique engineering 
material. Beryllium's negative aspects are toxicity and high 
costs associated with the extraction process. 

Beryllium is generally alloyed with copper. Alloying 
combines electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and 
high strength with fatigue and corrosion resistance. 
Beryllium alloys containing nickel, cobalt, aluminum, 
and/or aluminum-magnesium, as well as copper, are 
manufactured to meet industrial specifications and needs. 

Beryllium is also used in oxide form (beryllia) in 
ceramics. Beryllia ceramics are useful for their electrical 
insulating properties and their ability to conduct heat. 
Beryllia ceramic components are used in computers, elec- 
trical insulators, power transistors, and as substrates (foun- 
dation sections) for electronic circuitry. 

Finally, beryllium can be prepared as a powder, rod, or 
ingot to be used in its pure metallic state. Beryllium, in both 
metallurgical powder and ingot form, can be rolled into 
sheets which can then be fabricated by conventional 
methods, e.g., deep draw, shear, redraw, shear form, and 
roll form (3). Other qualities of metallic beryllium are its 
transparency to X-rays, dissipation of heat (4-5), and reflec- 
tion of neutrons. Aerospace vehicle structures, missile and 
aircraft guidance system components, and other defense- 
related devices are fabricated from beryllium. Nuclear reac- 
tors and nuclear-powered space systems incorporate beryl- 
lium components. 

Through continuing experimentation, the beryllium in- 
dustry can tailor beryllium products to industrial re- 
quirements. Beryllium mill products are now available in 
ingot, lump, chip, powder, block, billet, rod, bar, tube, foil, 
sheet, plate, wire, and other specialty shapes. 



INDUSTRY OVERVIEW 

The beryllium industry in the United States, as 
represented by the vertical configuration in figure 2, com- 
prises four major stages of beryllium production: 



1. Ore producers constitute the first stage of the in- 
dustry. Although a few U.S. producers supply beryl ore in 
small amounts, Brush Wellman Inc., the only U.S. bertran- 
dite ore producer, and the Brazilian beryl ore producers are 
the major suppliers of ore from which beryllium is extracted. 

2. In the intermediate stage of the industry, Be(OH) 2 
is extracted from beryl and bertrandite ores. Brush 
Wellman Inc. operates the only extraction plant currently 
producing Be(OH) 2 in the western world. Cabot Corp., a pro- 
ducer of beryllium products from Be(OH) 2 , imports most of 
the beryl ore processed at Brush Wellman's Delta plant in 



(ORE) 




Bertrandite 



(intermediate extraction) 

1 



Beryllium 
hydroxide 




Beryllium 
metal 



Beryllium 
copper 



Beryllium 
oxide 



(Fabrication) 

* 



Powder 

Billets 

Rod 

Tube 

Sheet 

Foil 



- Rod 

- Bar 
Strip 

- Tube 

- Wire 

- Castings 



|- Ceramic 
shapes 



FIGURE 2.— Beryllium industry scheme. 



Utah. Brush Wellman converts the beryl ore to Be(OH) 2 for 
Cabot Corp. on a toll basis. All of the bertrandite ore used 
in the extraction process is mined and milled at Brush 
Wellman's Spor Mountain deposit in western Utah. 

3. In the third stage of the production process, Be(OH) 2 
is converted into the three major beryllium products for 
specific industrial requirements, as follows: 

a. Metallic beryllium.— Through a series of wet 
chemical steps, Be(OH) 2 is converted to BeF 2 , which in 
turn is reacted with metallic magnesium to produce 
metallic beryllium and MgF 2 . 

b. Beryllium-copper master alloy.— Be(OH) 2 at a low 
temperature is calcined into an alloy-grade BeO, and 
charged into an electric arc furnace with carbon and cop- 
per. The carbon reduces the BeO to liberate beryllium, 
which is immediately dissolved in the copper to form 
a beryllium-copper master alloy containing 4 pet Be. 

c. Beryllium oxide.— Be(OH) 2 is converted into 
BeS0 4 , which is calcined in a gas furnace into ceramic- 
grade BeO. 

4. In the fourth stage of production the above materials 
are then fabricated into commercial forms for sale to a wide 
range of customers. In the United States, Brush Wellman 
Inc. and a division of Cabot Corp. have produced metallic 
beryllium, alloys, and compounds (including BeO), from 



Table 1.— Historical prices per pound of beryllium powder, 
oxide, and master alloy (7) 

(U.S. dollars per pound) 





Powder 2 


Oxide 3 


Be-Cu m 
Actual 


aster alloy 4 


Actual 


Constant 


Actual 


Constant 


Constant 


Year' 


1984 




1984 




1984 


1965 .. 


59.00 


197.06 


23.00 


76.82 


46.00 


153.64 


1967 . . 


61.00 


196.42 


23.00 


74.06 


48.00 


154.56 


1969 .. 


61.00 


185.44 


25.00 


76.00 


50.00 


152.00 


1971 . . 


61.00 


172.63 


23.00 


65.09 


53.00 


149.99 


1973 . . 


61.00 


156.16 


23.00 


58.88 


53.00 


135.68 


1975 . . 


73.95 


139.03 


26.00 


48.88 


59.00 


110.92 


1977 . . 


93.16 


153.71 


26.00 


42.90 


62.00 


102.30 


1979 . . 


. 103.00 


140.08 


26.00 


35.36 


71.00 


96.56 


1981 . . 


. 150.63 


159.67 


37.92 


40.20 


122.88 


130.25 


1982 . . 


. 166.00 


170.98 


40.00 


41.20 


130.00 


133.90 


1983 . . 


. 173.00 


176.46 


45.60 


46.51 


135.00 


'137.70 


1984 . . 


. 178.00 


178.00 


52.36 


52.36 


142.00 


142.00 



'Prices prior to 1973 are reported as of 2/65, 2/67, 2/69, and 2/71 . 1973-84 
prices are average annual price. 
2 Beryllium powder is 97 pet Be. 
3 Oxide is powder form in lots of 10,000 lb. 
4 Master alloy contains 4 pet Be. 



Be(OH) 2 since the 1930's. Historical price trends for these 
products are illustrated in table 1. 



BERYL ORE MARKETS 



Beryl ore prices gradually rose in 1975-80, then 
abruptly increased in 1981, achieving a peak in 1982. The 
average market price range for imported beryl ore in 1984 
was $130 to $147 per short ton unit 4 of beryl ore contain- 
ing an average 10 pet BeO (6). This price includes insurance 
and shipping costs to U.S. ports. The market price range 
of 1 mt beryl ore containing an average 10 pet BeO was 
$1,433 to $1,621. 

Published market prices are quoted for beryl ore that 
contains at least 10 pet BeO. However, beryl ore sold on 
the market ranges from 10 to 12 pet BeO with the quoted 
price adjusted for beryl ore containing BeO grades higher 
than 10 pet. Table 2 shows the price history of beryl ore 
for 1980-84. 

Brazilian beryl ore production increased over the period 
1975-83. The average annual rate of growth for the 9-yr 
period was 6.8 pet. The largest increases in beryl ore pro- 
duction occurred in 1978 (64.2 pet) and 1981 (55.0 pet). 
Argentina's beryl ore production, however, has declined 
since 1975. Figure 3 represents the beryl ore production for 
Argentina and Brazil. 

The United States exports no bertrandite or beryl ore. 



4 Short ton unit (stu) equals the amount of material that contains 20 lb 
BeO. At a 10-pct-BeO grade, 200 lb material is purchased for $130/stu; 
therefore, 1 mt beryl ore containing 10 pet BeO will cost $1,433. 

Table 2.— Average actual prices of beryl ore containing 
10 pet BeO 1 

(U.S. dollars per metric ton) 

1980 937.00 

1981 1,212.60 

1982 1,333.90 

1983 1,289.80 

1984 1,212.00 

1 Estimated from price ranges published monthly in the Engineering and Min- 
ing Journal. 



1,400 


1 


i i i 


1 1 1 1 


— 


1,200 


— 




/ 






- 




/ 


- 


1,000 


- 




/ 
/ 
/ 


- 


BOO 


- 




/ 


- 






.N/Broiil 


/ 


- 


600 


!>. 


/ \ 


/ 


- 




A 


/ \ . 


^ 


_ 




\ 


^ *"■ 






400 


v-" 








200 


- 


/Argentina 

i > 1 




- 



1975 76 77 78 79 80 SI 82 83 84 

FIGURE 3.— Beryl ore production in Brazil and Argentina. 




1965 



FIGURE 4.— U.S. beryl ore imports. 



Brazil, the world's third largest producer of beryl ore, ex- 
ports its ore primarily to the United States, with lesser 
amounts to Japan and Western Europe. 

Several large entities in the United States (the U.S. 
Government, Brush Wellman Inc., and Cabot Corp.) have 
purchased the majority of imported beryl ore in the past; 



however, the U.S. Government has not purchased beryl ore 
for the strategic minerals stockpile since 1974. 

U.S. reliance on imported beryl ore declined from 1969 
to 1977; an increase in importation occurred from 1978 to 
1982. Beryl ore imports are historically presented in figure 
4. 



WORLD BERYLLIUM STATISTICS 



PRODUCTION 

Among contributors to world beryllium production are 
Brazil, China, Mozambique, Portugal, the Republic of South 
Africa, Rwanda, the U.S.S.R., the United States, and Zim- 
babwe. In 1983, market economy countries contributed 9.4 
pet of the total 415 mt of beryllium contained in ores pro- 
duced by foreign nations. China and the U.S.S.R. represent 
14.0 pet and 18.3 pet, respectively, of the total world pro- 
duction. The United States supplied 58.3 pet of total pro- 
duction. U.S. beryllium production data are not shown in 
world production figures prior to 1980. World production 
of beryllium for 1975-84 is shown in table 3. 



TRADE 

The United States exports and imports beryllium prod- 
ucts in wrought, unwrought, alloy, waste, and scrap forms. 
Exact chemical and physical compositions of beryllium ex- 



Table 3.— World beryllium production, 1975-84 (0) 1 

(Metric tons) 



1975. 
1976. 
1977. 
1978. 
1979. 



129 


1980 


110 


1981 


97 


1982 


112 


1983 


112 


1984 



.382 
.371 
.312 
.414 
.409 



1 Does not include production from the United States prior to 1980. 

ports and imports are unknown. The amount of beryllium 
in various forms exported between 1975 and 1983 ranged 
from a low of 16.9 mt in 1975 to a high of 72.8 mt in 1977. 
Over the same period, the total value of the various exported 
beryllium products increased relative to the total amount 
exported. Changes in the ratio of wrought products to un- 
wrought, alloy, waste, and scrap beryllium affect the value 
of these exports. 

The United States imports beryllium in various forms 
from Brazil, Mexico, Canada, France, the Federal Republic 
of Germany, and the United Kingdom. Figure 5 presents 
U.S. beryllium exports and imports for 1975-83. As shown 




1976 1977 1978 1979 I960 1981 1982 

FIGURE 5.— U.S. imports and exports of beryllium in wrought and unwrought forms. 



Table 4.— Comparisons of domestic beryllium 
import and export values, and balance of trade 

(Thousand U.S. dollars) 



Year 


Exports 


Imports 


Balance 
of trade 


1975 


1.152 


179 

3 

36 

11 

9 

237 

21 

11 

111 


+ 973 


1976 


1 ,756 


+ 1 ,753 


1977 


1,911 


+ 1 ,875 


1978 


1 ,985 


+ 1,974 


1979 


3,686 


+ 3,677 


1980 


3,867 


+ 3,630 


1981 


3,094 


+ 3,073 


1982 


3,696 


+ 3,685 


1983 


2,693 


+ 2,582 









in table 4, the value of beryllium exports less imports is 
positive; however, the positive balance of trade is partly off- 
set by the cost of imported beryl ore. The export and im- 
port values are not solely attributable to beryllium content 
since some forms of beryllium products included in total ex- 
ports and imports contain other minerals such as copper 
and aluminum. 

The United States has given preference to imports from 
most-favored-nations. 5 Wrought beryllium products im- 
ported from MFN's have an ad valorem import duty of 9 
pet, while the same products from non-MFN's are levied an 
ad valorem import duty of 45 pet. No duty has been imposed 
on imports of ore and concentrate; thus an incentive exists 
for the importation of ore and ore concentrates into the 
United States. (Because there is no duty on imported ores 
and concentrates, import duties are not reflected in the beryl 
ore availability analysis.) 

The amount of beryllium imported by the United States 
as a percentage of total U.S. consumption is low. (However, 
imported beryl ore accounts for about one-third of domestic 
beryllium production.) In figure 6, a comparison of U.S. total 
beryllium consumption with total refined beryllium impor- 
tation indicates that generally a rise or fall in consump- 
tion corresponds to a rise or fall in importation. In 1978, 
however, the general pattern was broken— a rise in con- 
sumption corresponded to a fall in importation. This 
anomaly is attributed to an increase in funding of military 
and aerospace programs in the previous several years and 
subsequent response of the domestic beryllium industry in 
the form of increased production. 



U.S. CONSUMPTION 

In the early 1970's, alloys constituted more than half 
of total U.S. beryllium consumption. The electrical and elec- 
tronic component segments of the beryllium industry use 
beryllium in both alloy and oxide forms and consume the 
largest portion of total beryllium produced in the United 
States. Other major industrial segments that utilize 
beryllium are nuclear and aerospace. The proportionate 





FIGURE 6.— U.S. beryllium consumption and importation. 

amount of beryllium consumed within each of the four sec- 
tors remained relatively stable from 1975 through 84. 

Technological advancements have contributed a number 
of new applications for beryllium, thereby broadening its 
market base. U.S. beryllium consumption showed an overall 
increase during 1975-84, a decrease in 1976-77 being 
followed by a sharp increase in 1978-79. Figure 7 shows 
total beryllium consumed by the United States and the 
percentages of the total for each of the four segments of com- 
mercial applications. 

FUTURE MARKETS 

Future beryllium markets essentially will flourish in 
technologically oriented countries. The Bureau of Mines has 
made conservative projections of U.S. beryllium demand for 
1983-2000. Estimated average annual increase in beryl- 
lium demand is 1.5 pet (9). Within the major beryllium in- 
dustry sectors, nuclear industries are expected to increase 
demand 1.1 pet; aerospace. 1.9 pet; electrical, 1.2 pet; elec- 
tronics, 2.9 pet: and other industries, 2.9 pet. Projected total 
world demand for beryllium in the year 2000 is 898 mt, of 
which the United States represents 61.7 pet. 



ECONOMIC DISCUSSION 



BERYL ORE 



Brazil's beryl ore industry consists of many nonorga- 
nized miners and several mining companies. The Brazilian 



5 Most-favored-nations (MFN's) consist of most nations of the world selected 
in negotiations held in Tokyo in 1979. These nations receive lower tariff 
rates than non-MFN's. 



economy has sustained a high inflation rate in recent years, 
and since 1982 the value of Brazilian cruzeiros has de- 
creased relative to U.S dollars. As a result, the increased 
number of cruzeiros obtained for each U.S. dollar has in- 
duced producers to increase production and exportation of 
beryl ore to the United States. 

The limited number of beryl ore buyers in the United 
States has a monopsonistic influence on the market price 





1975, 160 mt 



1978, 246 mt 





1981, 275 mt 



1984, 302 mt 



FIGURE 7.— U.S. beryllium consumption. 



of beryl ore, effectively establishing a price on which beryl 
ore sellers have little influence. In addition, the large 
number of Brazilian ore producers and the devaluation of 
the cruzeiro have ensured a sufficient supply of beryl ore 
at a steady price. In fact, while Brazilian beryl ore produc- 
tion increased significantly from 1979 to 1984 at an average 
annual rate of 18.5 pet, the market price for beryl ore im- 
ported by the United States decreased after 1982. 

BERYLLIUM 

A number of factors inherent in the beryllium industry 



may affect the amount of beryllium available in the future. 
In the United States, a paucity of competition in each stage 
of production and a monopoly in the intermediate stages 
characterize the beryllium industry. After 1969, when 
Brush Wellman Inc. became the only fully integrated pro- 
ducer of beryllium in the United States, constant-dollar 
prices for beryllium products declined (table 1). As of 1984, 
constant-dollar prices had not reached the price level of 
1969. The upward trend in beryllium powder prices after 
1975 may reflect the upward trend of beryllium consump- 
tion in the United States since 1975. 



GEOLOGY AND RESOURCES 



Within the earth's crust, beryllium has been identified 
in at least 56 minerals, about half of which contain in ex- 
cess of 1 pet Be (2, 10). Beryl, bertrandite, phenacite, helvite, 
and barylite are the major minerals that are prospected for 
by beryllium producers. Bertrandite and beryl are currently 
the only beryllium minerals mined among MEC's for the 
production of beryllium concentrates. 

Until the discovery and development of the large Spor 
Mountain bertrandite property in Utah, beryl was the 
primary mineral used in the production of beryllium con- 
centrates. Although beryl occurrences have been identified 
in many areas throughout the world, lack of data on most 
of these areas precludes their inclusion in this study. Prop- 
erties investigaged in this study are listed in table 5. 

Over 29,000 mt Be (beryllium metal) is contained in the 
seven producing and nonproducing operations that were 
cost-evaluated in this study (table 6). An estimated 3,900 
mt Be is contained in ore from the deposits not evaluated; 
approximately 25 pet of this estimate is available as a 
byproduct from nonproducing primary mica and tantalum 
deposits. According to Steven Zajac, Hanna Mining Co., in 
the case of the nonevaluated operations in Canada, the 
resource and contained beryllium figures for Canada are 
probably understated. Additionally, data from CPEC's, 
specifically the U.S.S.R. and China, are unobtainable. All 
indications are that these countries contain major beryllium 



reserves and that the U.S.S.R. is a major producer and con- 
sumer of beryllium. 

BERYL 

Beryl (Be 3 Al 2 Si 6 18 ) is a hard, generally green-colored 
mineral that contains an equivalent of 14 pet BeO. Beryl 
has been mined for many centuries for its gem stone 
qualities but has only been utilized for its beryllium metal 
content since the 1930's. Beryl is usually found in 
pegmatites and granites but has also been found in mica 
schists associated with tin ores. The most widely mined 
beryl-rich rocks in the world are complex pegmatites. 

Brazil is the largest producer of beryl among MEC's. 
Over 106 Mmt beryl ore containing over 15,000 mt Be was 
estimated for the producing and nonproducing properties 
evaluated in Brazil (table 6). Almost 99 pet of the contained 
beryllium is available from the State of Minas Gerais (fig. 
8). The beryl-rich pegmatites are tabular and lenticular in 
shape and differ greatly in size and structure throughout 
the mining districts. Most of the commercial pegmatites are 
near schist-granite contacts in the east-central and north- 
eastern part of the country (11). 

A similarity among commercial-grade pegmatites in 
Brazil is the fact that they are all complex-zoned or 
heterogeneous pegmatites. Heterogeneous pegmatites are 



Table 5.— Beryllium-bearing deposits and regions 



Country and State 
or deposit name 

Argentina: Las Tapias 

Brazil: 

Cascavel-Cristais 

Minas Gerais 

Picui-Parelhas 

Quixeramobim-Solonopole 

Southern Bahia 

Canada: 

Bernic Lake 

Hellroaring Creek 

Seal Lake 

Strange Lake 

Thor Lake 

United States: 

Custer, SD 

Hill City, SD 

Keystone, SD 

Mount Antero, CO 

Mount Wheeler, NV 

Muscovite Mine, ID 

Railway Dike, WA 

Spor Mountain, UT 

Yellow Hammer, UT 

1 N - nonproducer; P - producer. 

2 Y - included in cost and reserve analysis 



Production Evaluation 

Owner status 1 status 2 

Juan and Thomas Andino N 

Private land owners N 

..do P 

..do ..."..... P 

Private land owners and some govern- N 
ment land. 

Private land owners P 

Tantalum Mining Corp., owned by N 
Manitoba Government (25 pet), 
Kawecki Berylco (37.5 pet), and Hud- 
son Bay Mining (37.5 pet). 

Bearcat Exploration Ltd. and Colt Ex- N 
ploration Ltd. 

Unknown N 

Iron Ore Co. of Canada N 

Highwood Resources N 

Numerous owners N 

. . do N 

..do N 

North American Beryllium Corp N 

Mt. Wheeler Mines, Inc., subsidiary of N 
National Treasure Mines Co. 

Unknown N 

Meridian Land and Mining Co. and N 
Burlington Northern. 

Brush Wellman Inc P 

American Consolidated Mining Co N 



Comments 



N Inoperative since 1978; resource data 
calculated at the inferred level. 



N 



N 



N 



N 



Inactive because of low demand. 
Nonmechanized and semimechanized 

mining operations; evaluated as 2 

distinct operations. 
None. 
Most higher grade ore has been 

exhausted. 
None. 

Primary tantalum property that was shut 
down. 



Low-grade prospect, yet highly 
promoted. 

Prospect. 

Undeveloped primary yttrium property; 

disputes exist concerning property 

ownership. 
Currently evaluating ore and developing 

bench-scale processing plant. 

Past producer of byproduct beryl. 
Do. 
Do. 

Undeveloped prospect. 

Insufficient grades of primary tungsten 
were encountered during development 
work; development ceased in 1950's. 

Past producer of mica and byproduct 
beryl. 

Nonproducer. 

None. 

Past producer of byproduct beryl. 



N - only included in reserve analyses when data were available. 



Cost analysis 


Number of operations 


In situ ore, 
10 3 mt 


In situ 
BeO grade 1 


Contained 


status 


Producing Nonproducing 


Be,* mt 



Table 6.— Market economy country beryllium resources 

Cost analysis 
status 

Evaluated: 

Brazil 

United States 

Subtotal or wtd av . . . 

Not evaluated: 

Argentina 

Canada 

United States 

Subtotal or wtd av . . . 

Grand total or wtd av 4 16 117,968 

1 Weight-averaged by country. 

2 The product of in situ ore times in situ grade; to determine Be grade from BeO, divide BeO value by 2.78. 

3 Spor Mountain bertrandite mine. 

■•Inferred resource; demonstrated resources not available. 



3 

31 


2 

1 


106,047 
5,700 


0.0004 
.0067 


15,260 

13,740 


4 


3 


1 1 1 ,747 


.0007 


29,000 







1 
5 

7 


"162 
1,284 
4,775 


.0002 
.0062 

.0006 


10 
2,860 
1,030 





13 


6,221 


.0017 


3,900 



.0008 



32,900 




LEGEND 
" Producing deposits 
X Nonproducing deposits 



O 500 1,000 

I i ■ ■ ■ I I 



Seal*, km 

FIGURE 8.— Location of South American beryllium deposits. 



generally composed of three identified zones which are pro- 
gressively coarser grained toward the quartz nucleus (fig. 
9). The intermediate zone of producing pegmatites, which 
borders the core, contains beryl as well as spodumene, 
columbite-tantalite, cassiterite, and semiprecious gem 
stones. Because of the resistance to weathering of the quartz 
core, heterogeneous pegmatites can often be recognized in 
the field as topographic highs (12). 

The principal beryl-producing areas of Brazil are the Rio 
Doce Valley and adjacent areas in the State of Minas Gerais 
(Minas Gerais operations), the Campina Grande district in 
the State of Rio Grande do Norte (Picui-Parelhas opera- 
tions), the Critais-Berilandia district in the State of Ceara 
(Cascavel-Cristais and Quixeramobim-Solonopole opera- 
tions), and the Jequitinhonha River Province (Southern 
Bahia operations) in the State of Bahia (fig. 8) (10). 

Similar commercial pegmatite zones have been mined 
in parts of Africa, Argentina, Australia, and India. The Las 
Tapias district of Argentina (table 5) used to be one of the 




Scale, m 



LEGEND 

Core 
Intermediate zone 



f?7>| Wall zone 
F/.'i^n Border zone 



FIGURE 9.— Geologic block diagram of a zoned pegmatite. 

larger South American producers, but no significant amount 
of beryl has been mined there since 1978. 

Commercial beryl-rich pegmatites in the United States 
are scattered throughout the Appalachians from Alabama 
to Maine. Several deposits have also been mined in the 
Black Hills of South Dakota and throughout the Colorado 
Rocky Mountains (table 5). Except for a few, small, family 
operations, none currently produce beryl as a primary com- 
modity. Although beryl may occasionally be produced in the 



10 



United States as well as in some foreign countries, Brazilian 
beryl mining far outweighs that of any other MEC in terms 
of production. 



BERTRANDITE 

Bertrandite [Be 4 Si 2 7 (OH) 2 ] was discovered in volcanic 
tuff beds of the Spor Mountain area of west-cental Utah in 
1959. It is a colorless mineral with no visible physical 
characteristics to aid in its identification (13). Exploration 
and development of the ore body took place in the 1960's, 
and after development and construction of a beryllium 
hydroxide beneficiation plant, Spor Mountain became the 
largest source of beryllium in the United States. Brush 
Wellman is also the largest producer of beryllium concen- 
trate [Be(OH) 2 ] in all market economy countries. 

The Spor Mountain bertrandite occurs in a water-laid 
tuff underlying Tertiary rhyolites and unconformably 
overlying Paleozoic carbonates. The carbonates and the 
overlying tuff dip to the west (fig. 10). Clasts of the carbonate 
occur locally within the tuff. The tuff served as an ideal host 
to laterally or upwardly migrating fluorine-rich hydrother- 
mal fluids; decreasing temperature and fluorine concentra- 
tions allowed the precipation of bertrandite. In addition to 
bertrandite, fluorspar, manganese oxides, and uranophane 
are contained in the tuff beds (2). 

The Spor Mountain deposit has proven ore reserves of 
5.3 Mmt at a grade of 0.690 pet BeO (14). According to 



, Pit backwoll design 





LEGEND 

[••"■'■''■■ 'I Alluvium ESKSa Ore zone 

L-.V.1 Rhyolrte t .v:-J Tuff and limesfone 

EV-Vv'l Altered rhyolite I , i' , I Limestone-dolomite 
~ Tuff 



Stephen Zenczak, Brush Wellman Inc., the attitude of this 
stratiform deposit is such that deeper mining down dip could 
increase the reserve tonnage if the depletion of established 
reserves warranted further development. 

OTHER BERYLLIUM MINERALS 

Beryllium resource estimates in this study do not ac- 
count for potential resources from many known beryllium 
occurrences. Several North American deposits containing 
undetermined beryllium resources were not evaluated 
because of a lack of geologic, engineering, and cost data; 
however, ongoing development work on Canada's Thor Lake 
and Strange Lake deposits may add significantly to future 
beryllium resource estimates. 

Thor Lake is a large beryllium deposit currently being 
developed in the Yellowknife area of the Northwest Ter- 
ritory, Canada (fig. 11); it is owned by Highwood Resources 
Ltd. of Calgary. Several metasomatically altered units 
associated with an Archean alkaline-syenite intrusive com- 
plex contain rare-earth elements, columbium, zirconium, 
and tantalum minerals as well as phenacite (Be 2 SiOJ, a 
beryllium mineral with potential for commercial develop- 
ment. In 1984, both gallium and gadolinite (Be 2 FeY 2 Si 2 O 10 ) 
were also discovered in quantities that may be economically 
recoverable (15). 

At least 450,000 mt ore containing 1.4 pet BeO have 
been outlined in the "T" zone, and over 1.3 Mmt ore grading 
0.66 pet BeO is available south of the zone (16-17). 
Preliminary metallurgical studies indicate that recoveries 
of 85 to 90 pet can be obtained, yielding a product contain- 
ing 10 to 13 pet BeO. Thor Lake could produce beryllium 
concentrates by 1987 (15). It has been speculated by 
Highwood Resources president Thomas Grenville that 
beryllium concentrates from Thor Lake would be sold in 
Europe and in Asia. 

The Strange Lake yttrium-zirconium property (table 5; 
fig. 11) is situated on the border of Newfoundland and 



:::£j *vT river 


*\j:" : Beaufort ^^# VY 


SZ^: Baffin jg 


X 


\ 


i 

-«■ ■:■:■ 


*^i> 








o 


1 


: : VAi. 


( x tHOR 
^^ \ LAKE 


MMw* 








W,\:.: r< 




V Muawom > 


STRANStN 

LAKE.. 


J X TJjijjSlH: 

SCAL-Zffcii: 

wLAKEjtV'^ 








yy.p'd C I F "/ C'<-:y. 

''" MU 


YLheu-ROaring/ 


X 


BERNIC 

ILAKE 






:'.'.:'. 


VV^-JOIKE \ 

scovmx, I 1 


^X 735^W KEY i 






•■^-:0_'_C]€'a V :;:■;:;■ V 


VKHerLER/5StNJ "| 








Xi-.ATLAMTICi 


rrERO 










;i£ 6vlt of Mfiti 


-Si 







LEGEND 
3* Producing deposits 
X Nonproducing deposrts and districts 
■ Beryllium hydroxide plants 
A Beryllium processing plants 



FIGURE 10.— Spor Mountain, UT: A, Cross section of bertran- 
dite ore body; B, geologic cross section and secondary drilling. 



FIGURE 11.— Location of North American beryllium deposits 
and processing plants. 



11 



Quebec, about 100 miles northeast of Shefferville, New- 
foundland, and contains large amounts of beryllium, rare- 
earth elements, and columbium. A beryllium phosphate 
mineral, herderite [CaBe(F,OH)P0 4 ], has also been iden- 
tified there (15). The Strange Lake deposit is owned by the 
Iron Ore Co. of Canada, a subsidiary of the M.A. Hanna 
Mining Co., Cleveland, OH. Because of a conflict over the 
mineral rights to this property, resource and in situ grade 
data have not been released. 

Large concentrations of two beryllium minerals, 
barylite (Be 2 BaSi 2 7 ) and eudidymite [(NaBeSi,0 T )OH], 
have been reported near Seal Lake in Labrador. The only 
other significant beryllium occurrence in Canada is the 
Hellroaring Creek prospect west of Kimberley, British 
Columbia. It is owned by Bearcat Exploration Ltd. (80 pet) 
and Colt Exploration Ltd. (20 pet) and may contain up to 
500,000 mt of 0.1 pet BeO (15). 

A mineralized area speculated to have commercial 
beryllium potential is the Lost River tin deposit on the 
western edge of the Seward Peninsula in Alaska (fig. 11). 



Tin mineralization is associated with Late Cretaceous 
granitic intrusions in a massive Ordovician limestone. 
Beryllium mineralization, primarily chrysoberyl (BeAl 2 4 ), 
is hosted by fluorite-mica veins distributed throughout the 
deposit. The veining may not be related to processes that 
produced the tin-bearing skarn and greissen (18). Samples 
analyzed by the Bureau of Mines averaged 0.12 to 0.13 pet 
BeO (18). No beryllium mineral resource data are available 
for the Lost River deposit. 

The Mount Wheeler Mine in White Pine County, NV, 
is found in the Wheeler Limestone Member of the Cambrian 
age Pioche Shale Formation (fig. 11). The lower portions 
of this limestone unit have been slightly altered, owing 
probably to an underlying granitic sill. Beryllium 
mineralization is in the form of bertrandite, phenacite, and 
chrysoberyl. Over 71,000 mt of 1.00 pet BeO resources have 
been demonstrated, with almost 150,000 mt of 1.00 pet BeO 
identified. Renewed speculation and investigations into the 
Mount Wheeler deposit may define larger resources of 
beryllium minerals, tungsten, and other products. 



BERYLLIUM MINING AND BENEFICIATION 



The United States is the largest producer and consumer 
of beryllium among MEC's. The Spor Mountain bertran- 
dite mine in Utah, owned and operated by Brush Wellman 
Inc., is the only source of beryllium hydroxide (an in- 
termediate beryllium compound needed to make beryllium 
products) in the United States. Many domestic pegmatite 
districts have supplied beryl ore in the past, but none are 
currently operating. 

All remaining beryllium concentrates produced in 
market economy countries are derived from the mining of 
beryl-rich pegmatites. Brazil is the largest supplier of beryl 
ore to the United States. The following section will focus 
on the mining and processing of beryl and bertrandite. 



BERYL MINING AND PROCESSING IN BRAZIL 

Most of the beryl ore produced in MEC's is from Brazil, 
where labor-intensive, pick-and-shovel mining of weathered 
pegmatites is the primary mining method employed. 
Garimpeiros (laborers) perform all of the mining and cobb- 
ing of the beryl ore. Since the garimpeiros mine on privately 
owned lands and sell ore directly to ore buyers, data re- 
garding mining methods and production are scarce. 

Pegmatite mining in Brazil consists essentially of stop- 
ing into exposed, weathered pegmatites with picks and 
shovels. Mines are established wherever beryl-rich 
pegmatites exist. If material is encountered that cannot be 
mined with picks and shovels, the garimpeiros will bypass 
it and start a stope in a more easily mined zone. Each stope 
is worked by three to five men who pick beryl crystals out 
of the host rock and muck out the waste. Other garimpeiros 
(usually women and children) sort through the mucked-out 
material for beryl crystals that were overlooked. 

Stopes opened in the weathered zones are approximately 
1.5 m high and 1.0 m wide. A "mine" can contain as many 
as 40 stopes. It is assumed that all beryl contained in the 
mined-out material is recovered for hand cobbing. Approx- 
imately 10 pet of the beryl is lost by hand cobbing. The 
upgraded (hand-cobbed) ore contains an equivalent of 6 to 
8 pet BeO. 



In the Picui-Parelhas district, a few primitive shaft and 
drift operations are employed in the weathered pegmatites. 
The shafts are usually sunk by digging out the soft kaolin- 
ized clay. When the beryl-rich zone of the pegmatites is en- 
countered, garimpeiros drift along this zone to extract the 
pegmatite. 

Almost 10 pet of the beryl production from Minas Gerais 
is from operations that utilize drilling and blasting in the 
pegmatite mining. It is estimated that several of these 
mines can produce about 50 mt/yr beryl ore (grading 6 pet 
BeO). 

Beryl ore from the mining districts is purchased 
periodically by representatives of the ore buyers, who 
transport it to nearby markets where the concentrates (ap- 
proximately 6 to 8 pet BeO) are further upgraded. This 
upgrading consists of additional hand cobbing of the beryl 
and achieves an average estimated recovery of 96 pet. The 
final beryl ore contains at least 10 pet BeO and is eventually 
shipped to Rio de Janeiro or other ports for export. It is 
shipped in 20- to 40-st lots with the lump ore being approxi- 
mately 3 by 5 cm in size and packed in burlap bags. 

Most of the beryl produced from the weathered 
pegmatites in Brazil is used for industrial purposes and is 
exported to industrialized nations like the United States, 
Japan, and France. The largest U.S. buyer of exported beryl 
ore in Brazil, Cabot Corp., and presumably the other U.S. 
ore buyers, have facilities in Brazil for the storage and 
upgrading of beryl ore, according to Alan Berger, Cabot 
Corp. 



BERTRANDITE MINING AND PROCESSING 

Bertrandite is mined at Spor Mountain in Utah and pro- 
cessed at the nearby Delta plant (fig. 11). It is mined from 
a dipping, stratiform ore body composed primarily of welded 
and nonwelded tuff. Several open pits with stripping ratios 
of approximately 12:1 have been developed to mine this 
uniform ore body. 

Overburden is removed by local contractors in the 
winter and spring to take advantage of cooler weather. Push 



12 



dozers and scrapers remove most of the unconsolidated over- 
burden, leaving about 7 ft of cover. Directly underlying the 
alluvium is a rhyolite which must be blasted; the blasted 
material is removed with front-end loaders and off-road 
haulage trucks. 

After most of the overburden stripping is completed, 
secondary drilling on 25-ft centers is performed to further 
delineate the ore body. Samples and berylometer readings 
are taken to establish the hanging-wall and foot-wall cutoffs. 
The remaining 7 ft of cover is then removed to expose the 
ore zone. Because of an irregular BeO grade throughout the 
ore zone, ore is systematically stockpiled so that a consis- 
tent grade of material can be sent to the mill. 

Mining consists of ripping and loading the exposed tuff. 
Ripping is performed with a bulldozer, and subsequent 
loading is performed with a self-loading scraper. Ore is 
generally mined from predetermined areas of the ore body 
so that stockpiling can be achieved. 

The stockpiled ore is then drilled on 20-ft centers. An 
assay map is generated to identify grade distributions 
throughout the stockpile. The ore is then selectively 
recovered and trucked to the Brush Wellman's Delta plant 
in Lynndyl, UT, about 50 miles east of the deposit. 

The Delta plant is the only commercial facility in the 
United States that extracts beryllium values from beryllium 
concentrates (beryl ore and bertrandite concentrates). The 
plant, which was designed to process 350 st ore (318 mt, 
containing 0.7 mt beryllium metal) daily (fig. 12), went on- 
line in 1969 and was modified in 1978 to accommodate the 
extraction and recovery of beryllium from imported beryl 
ore. 

Extracting beryllium consists of wet-milling the ore to 
provide a slurry of minus 20-mesh particles. The slurry is 
leached using H 2 S0 4 at temperatures near boiling point to 
solubilize beryllium contained in the bertrandite. A leach 
liquor containing BeS0 4 is separated from the solids by 
countercurrent decantation (CCD) thickener processes. 



BERYL ORE INPUT 

; (No contained uranium) 

Wash water 



j Crushing ■ 

j Melting j 

Fritting I 

T 

[Heat treatment | 
Grinding 



from CCD 



BERTRANDITE ORE INPUT- 

(0.002-0.015 pet U 3 8 ) 

I . 

-^Crushing and wet grinding! 



Wet screening 



Sulfuric acid 
Steam 



=£ 



Acid leaching 



Beryl leach 
1 solution 



| Dissolving 



CCO-thickeners 



Sludge discard 



xrC 



CCD-thickeners 



Sludge 



Solvent extraction 



discard 
Raffinate 



Converted 
organic 



Stripping 



JWU i 

H Acid 

»ic I 



conversion 



^tron hydrolvsis 
, 1 di 



Sludge 



discard 



-*| A-hydrolysis 

, T 

J A-product filtration 



Beryllium 
carbonate 



water 
Steam 



< 



Cake repuip 



-r 



I 



j 



I * : 1 Beryllium I r r — "~rr. — ~. 1 Bar ren 

I Product drumming H u B-product filtration I 1 

1 2-1 hydroxide I • filtrate J 



Ba rren 
ate 
To tailings 



FIGURE 12.— Delta plant flowsheet. (Courtesy, Brush Wellman, 
Inc.) 



Beryllium concentrate is produced from the leach liquor 
by countercurrent solvent extraction. The beryllium- 
extracting solution is composed of di(2-ethylhexyl) H 3 P0 4 
in kerosene. The rate of the beryllium solvent extraction 
is accelerated by heating the extractant and the leach 
solution. 

The organic phase is stripped of its beryllium content 
with aqueous (NH 4 ) 2 C0 3 . Heating this solution to about 
70° C precipitates the iron and aluminum as hydroxides 
or basic carbonates, which are then removed by filtration. 
The stripped organic phase is then reacidified using H 2 S0 4 
to regenerate H 3 P0 4 for return to the solvent extraction 
step. 

Heating of the beryllium carbonate solution causes 
precipitation of the beryllium carbonate, 2BeC03.Be(OH) 2 . 
This process releases C0 2 and ammonia, which are 
recovered for recycling. Further heating liberates the re- 
maining C0 2 for recycling. The Be(OH) 2 product is 
dewatered by filtration and transported to Brush Wellman's 
Elmore, OH, facility for processing into metal, beryllium- 
copper alloy, or beryllia ceramic products. Approximately 
80 pet of the beryllium value in the bertrandite is recovered 
by this process (2). 



BERYL FLOTATION AND BERYL 
ORE EXTRACTION METHODS 

Before beryllium was available from the large Spor 
Mountain bertrandite ore body, MEC beryllium was 
primarily derived from beryl ore. Methodologies involving 
the flotation of beryl from pegmatite ore and the extrac- 
tion of beryllium from beryl ore (beryl concentrate from 
pegmatite ore) are discussed in this section. 

Beryl Flotation From Pegmatite Ore 

Beryl is generally mined from pegmatites. Because its 
specific gravity is similar to that of quartz and feldspar, 
flotation provides a much better means for recovering beryl 
than gravity separation methods. Similar methods used in 
separating feldspar from quartz and mica are applicable for 
the flotation of beryl. The following procedure was derived 
from a Denver Equipment Co. bulletin (19) (fig. 13). 

The first step in recovering beryl from pegmatite ore 
requires grinding the ore. To recover beryl, a minus 35-mesh 
grind is necessary. The material is then fed through a 
magnetic or electrostatic separator circuit. This process 
separates the beryl from other minerals that may be 
economically recoverable, such as cassiterite and columbite. 
Desliming of the rod mill discharge is done through a 
cyclone classifier, which thickens the deslimed sand for 
subsequent conditioning and mica flotation at 50 pet solids 
or higher. 

Tailings from the mica flotation are conditioned with 
HF. Flotation of the tailings with an amine acetate collec- 
tor and an alcohol frother yields a bulk feldspar and beryl 
concentrate. Subsequent thickening of this concentrate 
removes excess reagents and water. The concentrate is then 
stored for batch processing so that the beryl flotation sec- 
tion can be operated under controlled conditions not sub- 
ject to fluctuations in previous processing and treatment 
steps. 

The bulk concentrate is conditioned with hypochlorite 
and washed to remove all reagents. The washed solids are 
conditioned with H 2 S0 4 and petroleum sulfonate and then 



13 



Beryl pegmatite 
ore from mine 




Rail grizzly 



Coarse ore bin 



Conditioners 

(acid-proof) 



2-stage q- 
— desliming 

cyclone classifier 
x ^ Slimes— -jSU „ 

i waste I il l 

i Lll"- 



Apron or 
pan feeder 

=3* 



Grizzly 



Jaw 
crusher 



25-pct 

solids 



A 

Slurry 
pump 



Alternate 




conveyor 



^\ Vibrating 
•^Iscreen 

V^-^Picking 



Magnetic 
head pulley 



Primary 
slime waste' 



Mica concentrate to 
waste or retreatment 



^M 



Flotation machines 
(acid-proof) 



^ 



Sampler ] 



Beryl-feldspar concentrate 




High-grade 
beryl 



2-stage 

desliming 

cyclone classifer 

— □— 
Mineral jig * 




Belt 
conveyor 

Sampler; 



Bolted steel 
ore bin 




X 



Ore feeder 



Rod mill with 
spiral screen 
discharge 



1 

Silica 

tailings 



Classifer 



Overflow 




2-stage 
desliming 
cyclone 
classifer 



Heavy mineral 
concentrate 




3 



Flotation machine 
(acid-proof) 



Conditioner 



Spiral rake thickener 
and diaphragm pump 



a > 



^^ 



i Slurry 
pump 



?= 



Sampler 



4- 



9 ! 



Conditioner 



Concentrate 
pump 



T 



Filter 



Sampler 



Feldspar to filtering 
and drying 



Beryl concentrate 



FIGURE 13.— Denver Equipment Co. beryl flotation design. (Courtesy Denver Equipment Co.) 



diluted to 20 to 25 pet solids for beryl flotation. The feldspar 
fraction is depressed as flotation tailings at this juncture. 
The froth containing beryl is cleaned, several times if 
necessary, to raise the grade to 10 pet BeO and is then 
pumped to a rotary filter. 

Extraction of Beryllium From Beryl Ore 

Two methods of beryllium extraction from beryl ore, the 
fluoride process and the sulfate process, have been used on 
a commercial scale. The sulfate process is used at Brush 
Wellman's Delta plant to produce BeO from imported beryl 
ore. Both processes are designed to recover 80 to 90 pet of 
the BeO equivalent from the input ore (2). 

Fluoride Process 

The Copeaux-Kawecki fluoride process consists of 
heating ground beryl ore with sodium ferric fluoride at 
750° C. One of the reaction products of this process, 
Na 2 BeF 4 , is water soluble, and so Be(OH) 2 can be obtained 
by aqueous leaching. The beryllium extraction yield from 
this process exceeds 90 pet. 



The initial Be(OH) 2 product from this roasting process 
is not pure enough for beryllium product manufacturing. 
Redissolving the Be(0H) 2) adding chelating agents, and then 
reprecipitating yields a Be(OH) 2 product suitable for com- 
mercial applications (2). 



Sulfate Process 

The Kjellgren-Sawyer sulfate process, installed at Brush 
Wellman's Delta plant, treats beryl ore fed into the 
beneficiation circuit. The cost of energy for this fusion 
process requires the beryl ore to average 11 pet BeO 
equivalent, although recent developments at Brush 
Wellman's plant allow for a lower grade of ore (greater than 
8 pet) to be beneficiated (2). A beryl ore feed of a lower grade 
would be less energy efficient and more costly. 

Beryl ore is melted at 1,625° C and then quenched in 
water. The beryl glass is reheated and then ground to a 
minus 200-mesh powder. A slurry of the powdered beryl in 
H 2 S0 4 is heated to 250 ° to 300 ° C to convert the beryllium 
to a sulfate, which can then be incorporated into the remain- 
ing Delta plant beneficiation circuits. 



14 



EVALUATION METHODOLOGY 



To develop estimates of the demonstrated resources, 
grades, and production costs, data on beryl and bertrandite 
geology, mining engineering, and beneficiation were 
obtained. For each operation evaluated, actual or estimated 
capital expenditures for exploration, acquisition, develop- 
ment, mine plant and equipment, and mill plant and equip- 
ment were included. The capital costs for the mining and 
processing facilities include expenditures for mobile and 
stationary equipment, construction, engineering, infrastruc- 
ture, and working capital. Infrastructure includes costs for 
access to the mine and its associated facilities, ports, water 
supply and treatment, power supply, and personnel accom- 
modations. Working capital is a revolving cash fund intend- 
ed for covering operating expenses such as labor, supplies, 
insurance, and taxes. 

The initial capital costs for producing mines and 
developed deposits were depreciated according to the actual 
investment year. The undepreciated portion was treated as 
a remaining capital investment in 1984. Reinvestments 
varied according to capacity, production life, age of facilities, 
and company philosophy. All costs were originally in 
January 1982 dollars but have been updated to January 
1984 dollars according to local currency factors and in- 
dividual country inflation indexes, weighted proportionately 
by the effects of labor, energy, and capital on a countrywide 
basis. 

The total operating cost estimates for beryl operations 
are a combination of direct and indirect costs. Direct 
operating costs include mining and maintenance labor, sup- 
plies, supervision, payroll overhead, insurance, local taxa- 
tion, and utilities. Indirect operating costs include technical 
and clerical labor, administrative costs, maintenance of the 
facilities, and research. Other costs in the analyses include 
such standard deductibles as depreciation, depletion, 
deferred expenses, investment tax credits, and tax loss 
carry-forwards. Total operating costs for the bertrandite 
property were not determined because of insufficient data. 

After the engineering parameters and associated costs 
for the evaluated beryl deposits were established, the supply 
analysis model (SAM) was used to perform economic evalua- 
tions pertaining to the availability of beryl ore {20). 

Specifically, the SAM system is a comprehensive 
economic evaluation simulator that is used to determine 
the average total production cost over the estimated life of 
each operation including a prespecified discounted-cash-flow 
rate of return (DCFROR) on investments, less all byproduct 
revenues. This average total cost represents the constant- 
dollar, long-run price at which the ore must be sold to recap- 
ture all costs of beryl production including a prespecified 
DCFROR. 

For this study, rates of return of and 15 pet wen- 



specified when determining the long-run cost of beryl ore 
production over the life of a property. The first rate (0 pet) 
was used to determine the break-even cost, where revenues 
are sufficient to cover total investment and production costs 
over the operation's life but provide no positive rate of 
return. This rate could reflect commitment to a project that 
seeks only a market share or where other advantages such 
as social benefits, foreign capital, technological progress, 
or expectation of better market prices would offset current 
profitability. A 0-pct rate of return could be acceptable for 
government-operated mining ventures. For privately owned 
enterprises, a more reasonable economic decision-making 
parameter is that represented by the 15-pct DCFROR. This 
rate is considered the minimum rate of return sufficient to 
maintain adequate long-term profitability and attract new 
capital to the industry. 

The SAM program contains a separate tax records file 
for each country and State and includes all the relevant tax 
parameters under which a mining firm would operate. 
These tax parameters were applied to each evaluated mine 
with the assumption that each operation represents a 
separate corporate entity. The SAM system also contains 
a separate file of 12 economic indexes for each country to 
enable updating of cost estimates for mines and deposits 
in 95 countries. 

Detailed cash-flow analyses were generated for each 
preproduction and production year of an operation, begin- 
ning with the initial year of analysis in 1984. Individual 
mine analyses were then aggregated to produce a total 
availability curve for beryl ore. It was constructed as an 
aggregate of all evaluated beryl ore operations, ordered from 
those having the lowest average total costs to those hav- 
ing the highest. No availability curve was constructed for 
bertrandite since there is only one producing operation. 

Certain assumptions are inherent to all analyses per- 
formed in this report: 

1. All mines produce at design capacity throughout the 
estimated life of the operations, unless they were known 
to be producing at reduced levels or were temporarily shut 
down because of depressed market conditions. It was 
assumed that full capacity could be reached after a 1- to 
4-yr preproduction period. 

2. Each operation is assumed to be able to sell all of 
its output at no less than the determined total cost required 
to obtain at least the minimum specified rate of return. 

Some of the deposits evaluated could be prevented from 
development, forced to reduce production, or forced to close 
owing to lack of capital, environmental problems or issues, 
political reasons, a poor economic climate, or other con- 
straints not known at this time. 



OPERATING COSTS 



Operating costs, presented in January 1984, U.S. 
dollars, were estimated for six of the producing and non- 
producing mines and deposits discussed in this study (table 
7). The cost analyses are based solely on the production of 
primary beryl ore and bertrandite ore from Brazil and the 
United States. Costs were gathered during site visits, by 



contacts with company officials, and from published 
materials. Where unavailable, operating costs were 
estimated by standard costing techniques. Costs .nclude 
mining, milling, processing, transportation, taxes, and 
royalties. The operating costs presented are weighted 
averages projected over a mine's life and are calculated in 



15 



Table 7.— Estimated operating costs and contained beryl ore in Brazil and the United States 1 ' 2 

~ " ' Contained Mining and processing costs Taxes , Total cost 

orations beryl ore, Pegmatite beryl -pct 15-pct 

operanons mt ore Beryl ore ore DCFROR DCFROR 

Producers: Brazil 3 399,800 $2.70 $770 3 $110 $880 $990 

Nonproducers: 

Brazil 2 600 .80 1,100 220 1,430 "1,430 

United States 1 8,900 W W W W W 

W Withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data. 
'Based on 1982 data; costs updated to 1984 U.S. dollars. 

2 AII costs are weight-averaged in terms of dollars per metric ton ot pegmatite ore or beryl ore. 
3 Royalty of 15 pet on the value of the mined material that the miners pay to the landowners. 

"Because of error limits in rounding, variations between 0- and 15-pct DCFROR's values appear to be zero; slightly larger 15-pct value is not reflected in 
the data when 15-pct DCFROR's are rounded to the nearest $10/mt beryl ore. 



dollars per metric ton of pegmatite ore mined ($/mt 
pegmatite ore), dollars per metric ton of beryl ore produced 
($/mt beryl ore, containing 10 pet BeO equivalent), and 
dollars per metric ton of bertrandite ore mined ($/mt ore). 



BERYL 

Most Brazilian production comes from the labor- 
intensive, nonmechanized mining of weathered pegmatites. 
The final exported ore contains approximately 10 pet BeO 
equivalent. All mining and upgrading costs were combined 
in the mining costs (table 7) for this discussion. Mining costs 
on a per-ton-of-ore basis for the producing deposits are $2.70 
for pegmatite ore (table 7). In dollars per metric ton for beryl 
ore produced, mining costs are approximately $770. Taxes 
bring the total cost to $880/mt beryl ore, which also equals 
the cost estimated at a 0-pct DCFROR. This "break-even" 
value represents the minimum price for beryllium concen- 
trate that a producer would need in order to cover all pro- 
duction costs with no constant-dollar, long-term profit. The 
total cost estimated for producing deposits at a 15-pct 
DCFROR is $990/mt. The average price for imported beryl 
ore (f.o.b. U.S. port), in 1984 U.S. dollars, is approximately 
$l,212/mt ($110/stu, 10-pct-BeO equivalent). 

Estimated mining costs from the two nonproducing 
regions of Brazil, on a per-ton-of-ore basis, are $0.80. Min- 
ing costs estimated for producing districts are higher than 
costs estimated for nonproducing districts because ex- 
plosives and heavy equipment are employed by several 
mines in the producing districts. 

The total cost, per metric ton of beryl ore, is $1,430 for 
nonproducers from Brazil. This cost is higher among non- 
producers than among producing districts because of a lower 
grade of ore. In Brazil, higher costs are to be expected with 
relatively lower grade ore because of the labor- intensive 
upgrading methods utilized as well as the 10-pct-BeO con- 
centrate grade required for exported beryl ore; 10 pet BeO 
is the lowest grade of beryl ore imported into the United 
States because it is generally the lowest concentrate grade 
accepted at Brush Wellman's Delta plant. 

The nonproducer evaluated in the United States is a 
high-cost, underground pegmatite operation. Costs were 



withheld (table 7) because engineering and cost data col- 
lected are confidential. 

The published price of $l,212/mt (6) for imported beryl 
ore concentrates was estimated by metal market analysts. 
This price range includes transportation costs, duties, and 
insurance associated with shipping the beryl ore. 

Many of the miners and ore buyers are paid for 
recovered tantalite in addition to the small wages paid for 
recovering beryl. In most cases, were it not for pay realized 
for tantalite recovery (no data are available for tantalite 
recoveries), beryl would not be attractive to the miners or 
the ore buyers, according to Alan Berger, Cabot Corp. 



BERTRANDITE 

Operating costs and capital investments were estimated 
for Brush Wellman's mining and processing facilities. 
Reserves and feed grade data derived from annual reports, 
and a general understanding of Brush Wellman's bertran- 
dite mining and beneficiating methods, permitted these 
costs to be estimated. 

Be(OH) 2 production at Brush Wellman's Delta plant is 
derived primarily from bertrandite ore. Although imported 
beryl ore augments bertrandite in the processing circuits, 
the amount of beryl ore fed into the circuits may vary from 
year to year. For this study, a constant beryl ore feed was 
assumed. 

Assuming an average input of 2,465 mt/yr beryl ore 
through Brush Wellman's Delta mill facilities and assum- 
ing an average mill recovery of about 80 pet of the BeO con- 
tained in the bertrandite ore, it is estimated that mining 
costs are approximately $13.50/mt bertrandite ore. The cost 
of augmenting bertrandite ore with beryl ore is approx- 
imately $l,600/mt beryl ore (containing 10 pet BeO). This 
is the cost for purchasing the beryl ore at Los Angeles, CA, 
and transporting it to Brush Wellman's facilities. Based on 
a feed of 99,000 mt/yr bertrandite ore (0.614-pct-BeO feed 
grade) plus an average beryl ore feed of 2,465 mt/yr, the 
total operating cost (0-pct DCFROR) for the production of 
an intermediate Be(OH) 2 is estimated to be between $10/lb 
and $20/lb. This cost represents production of an in- 
termediate product for which no market price is available. 



AVAILABILITY 



The total amount of contained beryllium from all 
sources is approximately 33,000 mt. The Utah bertrandite 
ore deposit contains approximately 14,000 mt Be, ot 42 pet 
of the total contained beryllium. 



Primary beryllium production depends upon availability 
of both ores and extraction plants. Availability analysis of 
beryllium at various costs of production is restricted for the 
following reasons: Only one major beryllium extraction 



16 



plant presently operates in the Western Hemisphere; very 
few extraction plants exist worldwide; and beryllium 
availability currently relies on the availability of beryl and 
bertrandite. 

The total amount of beryl ore available from the six pro- 
ducing, nonproducing, and undeveloped primary sources in 
the United States and Brazil is approximately 407,000 mt 
with an average grade of 10 pet BeO equivalent. Three 
Brazilian producing districts represent 98.3 pet of the total 
available beryl ore. Two nonproducing deposits in Brazil 
and one in the United States represent the remaining 1.7 
pet. The U.S. beryl ore deposit is not included on the 
availability curve because the costs associated with the 
underground mining and flotation of beryl have no basis 
of comparison with those of Brazil's surface mining and 
hand-sorting methods. 

The total beryl ore available from Brazilian sources is 
illustrated in figure 14. Each metric ton of beryl ore con- 
tains approximately 10 pet BeO equivalent. The price per 
metric ton of beryl ore includes the cost of the ore, transpor- 
tation to major U.S. ports, and insurance costs. Approx- 
imately 360,000 mt beryl ore would be available, given a 
beryl ore price range of $900/mt to $950/mt and a 0-pct 
DCFROR. The computed prices, which represent the break- 
even point, for the five Brazilian deposits occur within a 
range of $900/mt to $l,520/mt beryl ore. Inclusion of a 15-pct 
rate of return in the discounted cash flow analysis raises 
the computed price range of beryl ore to $900/mt to 
$l,555/mt. No change in the $900/mt calculated price has 
occurred because capital costs for that particular deposit 
are low. 

Sensitivity analyses, in which increments and 
decrements of 20 pet were affixed individually to transpor- 
tation costs to Brazil ports, operating costs, and capital costs 
while the other costs were held constant, disclosed that 
changes in operating costs had the greatest impact on the 



1,600 



| 1,400- 

>> 

3 

§ 1,200 



w 
o 
o 

_J 

t 

p 1,000 



■> — i — i — i — i — T 



15-pct DCFROR 



0-pct DCFROR- 



f 



"SSo 



J i I i I i L 



3^0 340 360 380 400 

RECOVERABLE BERYL ORE, I0 3 mt 
FIGURE 14. — Cost and total availability for Brazilian beryl ore. 



1,900 



1,700 



Z ■• B0 ° 

0> 



§ 1,300 

o 

" 1,100 

I 

900 



20-pct operating cost increase 



X 



0-pct DCFROR 



X 



20-pct operating cost decrease 



j — " 



...J 



"t 



J. 



J. 



50 



360 



T 



J- 



. I 

f 



c\J —pel upeiumiy lusi ueucuacv 
_\. 



-L 



400 



370 380 390 

RECOVERABLE BERYL ORE, I0 3 mt 
FIGURE 15.— Cost and total availability for Brazilian beryl ore with mine operating cost adjustments. 



4I0 



17 



calculated price of beryl ore owing to the labor-intensive 
nature of Brazil's beryl ore production. A rate of return of 
pet and January 1984 U.S. dollars were specified in the 
sensitivity analyses performed on the Brazilian deposits. 
A plus or minus change of 20 pet in operating costs caused 
a 17.1- to 19.5-pct change in the calculated price of beryl 



ore. The relatively high rate of change in calculated price 
attributed to change in operating costs graphically confirms 
the labor-intensive mining technique employed in Brazil 
(fig. 15). A 20-pct change in transportation costs represented 
a 0.4- to 0.5-pct change in the calculated price of beryl ore; 
for capital costs, a 20-pct change represented a 0.0- to 2.3-pct 
change. 



CONCLUSIONS 



Beryllium is available for present and future needs from 
three ore sources— beryl, bertrandite, and phenacite— with 
beryl and bertrandite ores being the major sources of 
beryllium at present. Available beryl and bertrandite ores 
are sufficient to meet projected demand through the end 
of the 21st century; however, beryl ore availability in the 
United States is uniquely tied to Brush Wellman's capacity 
to beneficiate it. Were Brush Wellman unable to treat the 
imported beryl ore (because of depletion of ore from export- 
ing countries or other factors), beryllium availability in the 
United States would be dependent on one source, Brush 
Wellman's Spor Mountain deposit. 

Most of the beryl ore available from the MEC's 
originates in Brazil. Approximately 90 pet of the total beryl 



ore resource, which contains 56 pet of total contained 
beryllium, is in Brazil. Except for small amounts exported 
to France, Japan, and perhaps a few other industrialized 
countries, most beryl ore produced in Brazil is shipped to 
the United States. 

The United States consumed approximately 74 pet of 
the total world beryllium production in 1984. Brush 
Wellman Inc. operates the only beryllium extraction plant 
in the United States. Based on the Bureau's understanding 
of Brush Wellman's Utah facilities, they are in a unique 
position within the mining community in that they can aug- 
ment extensive bertrandite reserves with beryl ore and pro- 
duce an intermediate product, Be(OH) 2 , or they can produce 
Be(OH) 2 strictly from bertrandite ore. 



REFERENCES 



1. U.S. Bureau of Mines and U.S. Geological Survey. Principles 
of a Resource/Reserve Classification for Minerals. U.S. Geol. Surv. 
Circ. 831, 1980, 5 pp. 

2. Walsh, K. A. Extraction. Ch. in Beryllium Science and 
Technology, ed. by D. R. Floyd and J. N. Lowe. Plenum, v. 2, 1979, 
pp. 2-83. 

3. Frankeny, J. L., and D. R. Floyd. Ingot-Sheet Beryllium 
Fabrication, Report of work done under contract between U.S. AEC 
and Dow Chemical Co., Rocky Flats Div., Feb. 9, 1968, 29 pp. 

4. Darwin, G. E., and J. H. Buddery. Beryllium. Academic, 1960, 
392 pp. 

5. Metals Design. Beryllium. Mar. 19, 1981, pp. 71-72. 

6. Engineering and Mining Journal. Various 1984 issues. 

7. American Metal Market. Beryllium Prices, v. 93, no. 23, Feb. 
4, 1985, p. 28. 

8. U.S. Bureau of Mines. Mineral Commodity Summaries, 
1976-85. Chapter on Beryllium. 

9. Petkof, B. Beryllium. Ch. in Mineral Facts and Problems, 1985 
Edition. BuMines B 675, 1985, pp. 75-82. 

10. Nininger, R. D. Minerals for Atomic Energy: A Guide to Ex- 
ploration for Uranium, Thorium and Beryllium. Van Nostrand, 
1954, 367 pp. 

11. Johnston, W. D. Beryl-Tantalite Pegmatites of Northeastern 
Brazil. Geol. Soc. America Bull., v. 56, 1945, pp. 1015-1069. 



12. De Alameida, S.C., W. D. Johnston, Jr., O. H. Leonardos, and 
E. P. Scorza. The Beryl-Tantalite-Cassiterite Pegmatites of Paraiba 
and Rio Grande do Norte, Northeastern Brazil. Econ. Geol., v. 39, 
1944, pp. 206-223. 

13. Davis, L. J. Beryllium and Uranium Mineralization in the 
Spor Mountain Area, Juab County, Utah. Paper in Proceedings 
Basin and Range Symposium, 1979, pp. 397-403; reprint available 
from Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists and Utah 
Geological Association, Denver, CO. 

14. Brush Wellman, Inc. Annual Report. 1984, 40 pp. 

15. Schiller, E. A. Beryllium— Geology, Production and Uses. 
Min. Mag., v. 151, Apr. 1985, pp. 317-322. 

16. Industrial Minerals QLondon). Beryllium, Thor Lake. No. 204, 
Sept. 1984, p. 17. 

17. Mining Journal (London). Mining Week, Highwood's Rare 
Metals Bonanza, v. 304, no. 7804, Mar. 15, 1985, p. 171. 

18. Berryhill, R. V., and J. T. Mulligan. Beryllium Investiga- 
tions of the Lost River Mine, Seward Peninsula, Alaska. BuMines 
OFR 1-65, 1965, 71 pp. 

19. Denver Mining Co. Flowsheet Study. Beryl Ore Flotation. 
Bull. M7-F62, 2 pp.; available upon request from A. A. Soja, 
Minerals Availability Field Office, BuMines, Denver, CO. 

20. Davidoff, R. L. Supply Analysis Model (SAM): A Minerals 
Availability System Methodology. BuMines IC 8820, 1980, 45 pp. 



18 



APPENDIX A. — U.S. BERYLLIUM DATA 



U.S. BERYLLIUM STOCKPILE 

The U.S. strategic minerals stockpile contains beryllium 
metal ingots of 98-pct-pure beryllium, beryllium-copper 
master alloy, and beryl ore. The United States began 
stockpiling beryl ore in 1947 and beryllium-copper master 
alloy and beryllium ingots in 1965. The stockpile has con- 
tained approximately 6,701 mt beryllium-copper master 
alloy since 1965. The stockpile acquired 139 mt beryllium 
ingots in 1965; since 1965, the stockpile has gradually ac- 
quired ingots to attain the present 236 mt, and 27 mt are 
now on order. Figure A-l indicates the amount of beryl ore 
held in the stockpile from 1950 to the present. 



U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS 

In previous years, airborne beryllium particulates were 
the cause of serious health problems to employees and their 
family members and to residents of communities near pro- 
cessing sites who were exposed to beryllium dust particles. 
Berylliosis, a chronic disease, affects the lungs, heart, liver, 
spleen, and kidneys. Onset of symptoms of the disease may 
be delayed many years. The occurrence of beryllium-related 
health problems has diminished since companies involved 
with the production of beryllium have improved the air 
quality of the workplace. 

The National Emission Standards for Beryllium, under 
the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40 CFR 61.30, Sub- 
part C, specify that emissions from individual sources not 
exceed 10 g Be over a 24-hr period. Sources of beryllium 
emissions, in addition to extraction plants, include ceramic 
plants, foundries, incinerators, and propellant plants. 
Rather than complying with the 10-g limit, an owner or 
operator may request a variance from the Administrator 
to average emissions over a 30-day period; in these cases, 
the concentration limit of beryllium in the vicinity of the 



source is 0.01 f^g/m 3 . A number of conditions must be met 
to qualify for the Administrator's approval of a variance 
for an alternate method. Also included in Title 40 are stack 
sampling procedures outlined under paragraph 61.33 and 
air sampling procedures outlined under paragraph 61.34. 

Beryllium is deposited in oceans and streams through nor- 
mal weathering processes. Beryllium's natural concentra- 
tion in sea water is 0.0006 ^g/L. In fresh water, beryllium's 
toxicity is 100 times greater in soft water than in hard 
water. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has included 
beryllium as a toxic metal pollutant in the NPDES Permit 
Application Testing Requirements, 40 USC 122.21. NPDES 
applicants whose processes discharge pollutants are re- 
quired to report quantitative data for each pollutant listed 
in appendix D of 40 USC 122.21. A national standard for 
maximum concentration of beryllium in fresh water has not 
been established. 

The EPA will be issuing new rules regulating beryllium 
and also will be considering termination of existing exemp- 
tions of mine wastes as being considered hazardous 
substances. 



GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS 

In the United States, under Federal Regulation 30 USC 
400, provision has been made for operators to obtain Federal 
assistance for the purpose of exploring for reserves of 27 
minerals or mineral products. Beryllium is one of the eli- 
gible minerals for which an operator may obtain funding 
equal to 50 pet of allowable costs of exploration. Analysis 
of the effects of the regulation on the currently producing 
property and nonproducing properties did not appear to be 
warranted in determining the availability of beryllium, 
since beryllium exploration in recent years has not been 
extensive. 



40 



1 




1950 



1955 



I960 



1965 



1970 



1975 



1980 



1985 



FIGURE A-1 .—Beryl ore in U.S. strategic stockpile. 



19 

APPENDIX B. — GLOSSARY 

Beryl.— A widely mined beryllium mineral; found Delta plant; bertrandite and beryl ore are fed into the plant 

generally in pegmatites. to produce Be(OH) 2 . 

Beryl ore.— Concentrated beryl; when beryl is mined from Beryllium oxide.— BeO; the weight percent of this com- 

a pegmatite, the hand-cleaned and sorted beryl crystals con- pound in an ore constitutes the ore grade, 

stitute beryl ore; primarily imported into the United States Bertrandite.— A beryllium silicate mineral generally 

from Brazil, beryl ore contains a minimum of 10 pet BeO. found in a disseminated form; the only operating bertran- 

Beryllium.— Be, the fourth element in the Periodic Table. dite mine is Brush Wellman's Spor Mountain complex in 

Beryllium hydroxide.— Be(OH) 2 ; this concentrated central Utah, 
beryllium material is the end product of Brush Wellman's 



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